‘Electronic signatures can be used to execute documents, including where there is a statutory requirement for a signature, the Law Commission has today confirmed. This means that, in most cases, electronic signatures can be used as a viable alternative to handwritten ones.’

‘The work, which begins immediately, will focus on whether violent and sexual offenders are serving sentences that truly reflect the severity of their crimes. It will consider whether changes in legislation are needed to lock criminals up for longer – by not letting them out automatically part-way through a sentence. It will also look at how to break the cycle of repeat offending.’

‘The Bar Standards Board (BSB) last night decided to update its policy on the publication of disciplinary findings for professional misconduct. The policy will in future extend to all avenues by which the BSB puts disciplinary findings into the public domain and the lengths of time for which such findings are made publicly available have also been revised.’

‘Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, AKA Tommy Robinson, has today been sentenced to 6 months in prison for committing contempt of court by filming outside Leeds Crown Court during a trial. He was committed to prison for a further 3 months for a previous contempt.’

‘Having spent several years working in a university and managing training for professionals before being called to the Bar in 2007, I know first-hand the importance of high-quality education and training. The organisation I lead, the Bar Standards Board, has for the past few years been reviewing how barristers qualify in England and Wales, and I’m delighted that our new Bar qualification rules have now been launched.’